MU. W. PUESTON’s METE0R0L0GIC.\L NOTE.S. 
073 
l)E(.'EMltKU. 
Ihe mean tempovature of December wa.s nearly 2 degrees above 
the average, the first week being e.xceptionally warm, with an 
e.xcess of 10 degrees. Tliere rvere some seasonable frosts in the 
middle and end of the month, but no snow fell. The rainfirll of 
the month was very light (nearly half fell on Christmas Eve), 
and the wind was almost persistently in the south and south-w’est. 
The elfect of the high tenrperature upon vegetation called forth 
comments in all parts of the country. Roses llowered almost as in 
summer, and a most extraordinary number of wild flowers were to 
be found in sheltered situatioms. 
The Se.vsons. 
'file following table shows the mean temperature and rainfall 
for the four seasons in their order, and a compari.son with the 
average : — 
% 
Seasons. 
Tein|>erature. 
Raiufull. 
1888. 
Avorft'je. 
Dejiort. 
from 
iiveraire. 
1888. 
Average. 
Oepnrt. 
from 
avera)(e. 
IX'tfn'es. 
Devrees. 
Dejfrecn. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
inter (Dee. to Eol>.) 
35.5 
3S.7 
— 3.2 
4.42 
0.45 
— 2.03 
8priiij' (Mur. to May) 
43.5 
47.5 
— t.O 
5.S3 
5.1 5 
+ O.OH 
Suininer (.June to Aii>r.) 
oTTT 
G1.3 
—3.0 
K.52 
7.10 
+ 1.42 
Autinnn (Sep. to Nov.) 
40.3 
50.0 
-0.7 
7.00 
S.50 
— 1.50 
Ye All. 
Erom a meteorological point of view the year wjis one of the 
most extraordinary on record. From the middle of January to the 
24th October there was scarcely a warm week, and from that date 
to the end of the year hardly a cold day. We had dune days like 
those of December, and December days like June. The coldness 
of the first ten months was the more remarkable w’hen the character 
of the three previous yeara is taken into consideration. In 1885 
there were ten months with a mean temperature below the average, 
in 188G nine, and in 1887 ten ; and as the la.st five months of the 
latter year were of this description it will be seen that with the 
close of October, 1888, fifteen cold months bad occurred in 
succession, and thirty-one months out of the thirty-six months 
then unexpired had been below the mean. A research into the 
